Cancer Council Victoria’s iconic Quit brand has undergone its most significant brand evolution in more than four decades.
The cultural and public health landscape has shifted dramatically since Quit’s founding in the 1970s.
While smoking rates have declined significantly, the rise of vaping – particularly among young Australians – and the emergence of products such as nicotine pouches has created urgent new challenges.
Quit has unveiled a landmark brand refresh underpinned by a new brand strategy developed by strategic advisory firm Nature, with a bold visual identity brought to life by Studio Binocular.
“Quit has grown from a Victorian-based initiative into a national organisation helping Australians break free from smoking, vaping and nicotine addiction, necessitating a brand that reflects our expanded reach and speaks meaningfully to a diverse Australia,” said Kelly Dienaar, head of cancer control media and communications at Cancer Council Victoria.
“For more than four decades, Quit has been supporting Australians to stop smoking and vaping, standing firm against the deceptive practices of Big Tobacco,” Dienaar said.
“Through fearless advocacy and systems-wide change, Quit has empowered generations to make healthier choices. This brand refresh honours Quit’s legacy while reinforcing its relevance as a strong and engaging presence for the future.”
The core brand idea was anchored in a sense of possibility – leaning into the ‘why’ that motivates people to start their quitting journey, guiding them to move at their pace with accessible, personalised support.
“The world has changed enormously since Quit was founded,” said Aliya Hasan, head of strategy, Nature.
“Vaping has created a whole new addiction cycle, while the nicotine landscape, and the communities Quit serves, have become more complex. Quit needed a brand that could speak with bold, confident energy to a new generation, while remaining deeply empathetic to the complexity of the quitting journey.”
Nature led the end-to-end brand strategy, helping Quit retain the recognition and trust built over four decades while evolving its relevance for a broader, more complex nicotine landscape.
The work spanned brand positioning, brand and portfolio architecture, distinctive asset assessment, visual semiotic analysis, and iterative consumer validation.
Central to the work was Quit’s iconic Q. Research showed the mark remained a powerful and trusted brand asset, but that its historic cigarette associations needed to evolve.
Nature recommended reframing the Q as a more flexible, product-neutral identifier, enabling Quit to speak to smoking, vaping, nicotine pouches and future cessation needs.
Studio Binocular translated the strategy into a bold and engaging new brand – which reimagines an Australian public health icon for new generations.
The logo redesign evolves what has been one of the most recognisable marks in preventative health – while the new colours, brand systems, language and approach to imagery create a brave new sense of energy for the brand.
The evolved design system needed to work across multiple touchpoints, while being flexible to be adopted by the national network of partners that tap into Quit’s products, services and tools.
“We were determined to make sure the brand felt new, without feeling unfamiliar,” said Laura Cornhill, creative director, Studio Binocular.
“Quit has spent decades earning people’s trust and we didn’t want to just throw that away. The refreshed brandmark, new imagery and bold new design systems all work to modernise the brand. The end result is a brand that still feels like Quit – but looks ready to connect with the next generation of Australians.”
Credits
Quit rebranding project – Cancer Council Victoria
Head of Media & Communications Kelly Dienaar
Marketing Manager Maddy Leigh
Communications & Engagement Manager Natalie Filmer
Brand strategy, positioning, architecture, research and insights – Nature
Head of Strategy Aliya Hasan
Director Sharon Spargo
Senior Consultant Olivia Palmer
Senior Consultant Sam Foote
Brand identity and visual design – Studio Binocular
Creative Director Laura Cornhill
Senior Designers Eliane Hockey & Julian De Bono
Senior Account Manager Ottavia Tarzia
